Puzzle card-case



(No Model.)

A'. F. SMITH.

PUZZLE GARD CASE. j No' 5012,44- l Patented Oct. 24, 1893.

Hl l A nrw lil

STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALONZO F. SMITH, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

`PUZZLE; CARD-CASE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 507,244, dated October 24,1893. Application led May 28, 1888. Serial No. 275,316. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALONZO F. SMITH, of the city and county 'of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, havey invented certain new and useful Improvements in Puzzle Card-Cases; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The main objects of my invention are to provide an attractive case for cards or other articles, and to provide for such case a locking device which will aord to those unfamiliar with its working a puzzle.

It consists essentially of a case having a number ot' sliding sections one overlapping and locking another, and a catch arranged to lock one of said sliding sections.

In the accompanying drawings like letters designate the same parts in the several figures.

Figure l is a perspective view of my improved case. Fig. 2 is a section on the line Fig. l, and Fig. 3 is a section on the line y y, Fig. 1.

Two of the narrower sides and one end of the case are composed of fixed inner sections A A and longitudinally sliding outer sections B, B and B2, which are secured to said inner sections A by buttons a a. The stems a2 a2 of said buttons pass through slots a a in said outer sliding sections and are made fast in the inner fixed sections A. These broad, flat buttons cover and conceal the slots a 01,', and serve not only as fastenings for said sliding sections, but also to ornament the case and t-o obscure the method or means of opening the same. The remaining end section B3, formed in one piece with tongues on its edges which work in similar grooves in the sides A A of the case, as shown in Fig. 2, is removable and constitutes the cover.

To present a uniform arrangement of the ornamental buttons and a symmetrical appearance of the case and to further obscure the means or method of opening the case, I provide the cover and the middle of the longer sections B and B2 with buttons a3 a2, having short stems which are secured therein, being movable therewith.

A A are single side sections of the case permanently attached to the fixed inner sections A A.

C is a disk inserted in a recess formed partly in the sliding section B and partly in the adjacent ixed section A, that part of the recess in section B being of equal or greater depth than the thickness of said disk, while that part in section A is of less depth than the thickness of said disk.

The inner end of the sliding cover B2 when closed abuts against the end of section B and the section A, to which it is attached; the sliding section B2 projects at one end when the case is closed over the outer end of said cover; sec-tion B in turn projects over the other end of said section B2, and section B overlaps the opposite end of said section B', each of said sections, beginning with the cover, being thus locked by the next.

To open the case, it is held with the section B on the under side, in which position the disk C drops entirely into the recess therein, allowing said section to be slid lengthwise on the fixed section A, to which it is attached. The several sections B, B and B2 are then moved in the order named, as indicated by the arrows Fig. 3, each being released in turn by the one preceding, and finally the cover B2, which is withdrawn.

In whatever position of the case the disk C remains in the shallower recess in section A projecting into the deeper recess in the adjacent sliding section B, the latter will be locked thereby and prevented from being moved on said section A. The buttons 0,3 a2 on sections B and B2 may be utilized as thumb pieces in moving them and opening the case. A part only of the buttons serving for this purpose, the opening of the case is rendered more puzzling. g

It is obvious that the case may be constructed with one or more sliding sections besides the cover, arranged in the manner hereinbefore described, and that the details of construction of the case may be variously modied without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claiml. A puzzle case having two or more sliding sections, one constituting the cover and the other constituting an exposed side of the case and movable transversely thereto over the end of the cover or of the next preceding section, so as to prevent its Withdrawal, substan tially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a puzzle case, the combination of a sliding cover and a series of sliding sections, each movable transversely to the preceding cover or section over the end of the same, so as to prevent its Withd rawal, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In a puzzle case, the combination of a sliding cover and one or more sliding sections,

each movable transversely to the preceding section or cover over the end of the same so as to prevent its withdrawal, and a concealed gravitating catch arranged to lock the last Section in the series of sliding sections except when the case is held in a cert-ain position, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. The combination in a case having a sliding cover, of slotted sliding sections, one overlapping and locking another, including the cover, fixed inner sections and buttons having stems passing through the slots in said sliding sections and secured in said xed sections, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. In a case having a sliding cover, the combination with fixed inner sections, of slotted sliding sections, buttons having stems passing through slots in said sliding sections, and Secured in the inner fixed sections, similar buttons fixed to the cover and to the sliding sections, and a gravitating catch working with one of said sliding sections, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as 4o my own I aflx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALONZO F. SMITH. Witnesses:

GEORGE M. GoLL, CHAs. L. Goss. 

